Difference Between Vegetable Tanning and Chrome Tanning

Although most people aren’t interested in the technical details of tanning leather, understanding the basic differences between the two most popular tanning techniques is a great idea.

All-natural leather items you come across will either be made by vegetable tanning or chrome tanning and you will definitely want to clearly tell the difference. I did the research for you and here’s all I found.

The main difference between vegetable tanning and chrome tanning is that vegetable tanning is done using plant extracts such as tree backs, fruits and chrome tanning is done using chemicals like chromium sulfate, acid dyes, salt, and other chemicals.

While the difference between vegetable and chrome tanning is primarily based on the tanning ingredients used, there are other differences you will also like to know about.

And more importantly, the tanning ingredients used is not a sure clear way for a layperson to tell the difference between vegetable tanned and chrome tanning. So in this article I will share basic identifiable features and qualities that will help you differentiate between chrome tanning and vegetable tanning.

	Vegetable Tanning	Chrome Tanning
Origin	Over Thousand Years ago	1850’s
How Long It Takes to Tan	3 – 6 Months	1 Day
Worldwide Output	about 10%	about 90%
Color	Results usually in russet browns and black	Results in wide variety of Colors including bright colors
Nature	Results in Strong and Firmer	Results in Supple and Soft
Water Resistance	Not Water Resistant and Requires finishes	Good Water Resistance
Smell	Results in leather with nice leathery musty smell	Usually odorless
How it Ages	Ages with nice patina	Flat looking
Cost	More Expensive	Cheap
Reaction to Metals	Results in leather that Reacts well to metals	Results in leather that reacts poorly to metals due to chemical content
Best Used For	Wallets Cases Holsters Sheaths Bags Belts Tooling etc.	Shoes Clothing Upholstery etc.

History of Vegetable Tanning

Vegetable tanning dates back to prehistoric men and women also known as the early men. Right from the moment, they started to stand upright and travel long distances, the need for materials they could use to protect their bodies and help them travel arose.

The hides and skins they got from the animals they slaughtered for food was the only material that could fulfill their need.

But the problem was that the hides and skins they could use weren’t flexible and decayed because some form of bacteria ate into the skin fibers.

Eventually, they discovered solutions to prevent the skins from decomposing and also make them flexible enough for easy use.

The process of treating hides and skins to prevent decay is tanning.

They discovered the use of materials like alum, plant extracts, oils, smoke and animal brain tissues, and a few other materials did the trick.

By the time of Ancient Greece and Rome, the use of plant extracts and alum remained prevalently used while the use of the other materials became marginal.

Later it was also realized that alum, when used, could be easily washed out of the leather so the use of plant extracts for tanning became more and more predominated.

The plant extracts expanded from tree backs to fruits, roots, leaves, almost anything natural hence the name vegetable tanning.

Now for the next two thousand years, vegetable tanning was important in almost every aspect of society.

By the end of the 19th century, a chemical process for tanning started to take over. The chemical process was faster and was nicely suited for garments and shoe uppers.

There was a further decline in vegetable tanning with the reduction in the amount of travel by horses and the changeover from leather-soled shoes to rubber and plastics soled materials.

Fast forward to the 21st century, vegetable tanning started to pick up quite a bit once again because of some consumers’ taste and demand for the unique qualities of vegetable-tanned leather.

They longed for the patina that grows beautifully on leather over time, its longevity, versatility, and the adaptability of vegetable-tanned leather’s.

While the use of vegetable tanning today has greatly reduced, the traditional sense of its practice still remains.

Hide and skins are for a period of months, steeped in a solution of plant extracts to create beautiful, nice smelling, high-quality leather which is still used today for various leatherwork projects.

The transformation from raw hides and skins into a long-lasting material by vegetable tanning is by far a process that happens slowly in a very environmentally friendly way.

Today, you will find the raw materials used for vegetable tanning are available in liquid or powder form, obtained from different parts of plants such as fruits, woods, fruit pods, barks, and leaves. The very common vegetable tannins are obtained from:

Catechu
Chinese gallnut
Oakwood
Sumac
Myrobalan
Valonia Oak
Turkish gallnut
Chestnut wood
Quebracho wood
Tara pods
Gambier

Check out an article I wrote on what is vegetable-tanned leather? to find out more on vegetable tanning

Pros and Cons of Vegetable Tanning

The Pros:

More durable than other leathers
Environmentally friendly
Its tanning agents is safe for humans
Develops a patina over time
Vegetable-tanned leather is recyclable
Nice signature leathery smell

The Cons:

Production time can take 2 to 6 months to complete
It can be done only by experienced tanners
Requires a lot of water usage

History Of Chrome Tanning

Up until the 19th century, there wasn’t much development in the treatment of leather. The only form of tanning common at this time was the alum and vegetable tanning.

In the late 1850s, chrome tanning was invented by the German technologist Friedrich Knapp and Hylton Cavalin from Sweden. However, Augustus Schultz an American chemist was the first to get a patent for the chrome tanning process.

Chrome tanning is super fast compared to vegetable tanning and for decades, chrome tanning became the most common and dominant form of tanning.

The Invention of chrome tanning met with the discovery of the process for introducing oils into leather called fatliquoring and the development of synthetic dyes.

These changes in the chemistry of leather production further catalyzed chrome tanning to become the most preferred tanning method.

This tanning process leaves the leather with a light blue tinge with a strong chemical smell on the leather. The leather after tanning is usually only dyed leaving the chemical smell to linger even through to the final product.

Chrome-tanned leather weighs less compare to vegetable-tanned leather. This is because it has less tanning material remains in it. The chromium salts tannins make up about 1 – 4% while vegetable-tanned leather has a tannin content of about 20%.

Today, chrome tanning with chromium salts accounts for 90% of global leather production.

This tanning method is most commonly used, especially in the fashion industry.

Pros and Cons of Chrome Tanning

The Pros:

It is very fast to produce usually a few hours to a day
Soft and supple to the touch
Water-resistant
Its color doesn’t fade
It has a high degree of thermal resistance

The Cons:

It can cause allergies reactions because of the toxic chemicals used
The process is not environmentally friendly
Chrome tanned leather lacks the craftsmanship that goes into traditional tanning
It has a shorter lifespan due to the harsh chemicals used.
It does not develop a patina

It is common to find people unsure about the type of leather purchase only to be surprised with unexpected changes in the leather. Using the information above, you should be able to do just fine when choosing leather.

Difference Between Vegetable Tanning and Chrome Tanning

History of Vegetable Tanning

Pros and Cons of Vegetable Tanning

The Pros:

The Cons:

History Of Chrome Tanning

Pros and Cons of Chrome Tanning

The Pros:

The Cons:

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